The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-09-16
HARVESTING CORN.
The Advantages and Disadvantages OF
Thrashing Corn Without Husking.


Thrashing Corn Without Husking.
The new way of extracting the corn
from the stalks with the ordinary
thrashing machine. has attracted so
much attention and brought so many
inquiries from those anxious to know
more about the process, that, after
fuller experiment and knowledge, l
will say more about how to do it and
its advantages and disadvantages.
The machine used may be any separa-
tor-machine, such as is used for grain
thrashing, or an old uperannuated
machine will do, providing it is strong
and in good working order. To pre-
pare it for corn thrashing the sections
containing all the teeth, except two
rows, should be removed and some
hardwood plank substituted in their
place. The sections containing the
remaining teeth should be lowered"
more or less according to the corn to
be thrashed. The corn should be we'll
cured and the stalks must be dry in
order to keep well when put into NOW
or stack. 1t is fed to the machine
"butts' foremost, and as fast as the
mill will properly clean the thrashed
corn or the elevator will carry away
the stalks. The better way is to thrash
as fast as it comes from the field, al
though If quite dry or a machine can
not be obtained at the time, it may be
drawn and piled upon the NOW and
thrashed from there. In order to be
easily handled it should either have
been bound in smallest bundles when
being cut, or else have the ''stoots''
divided into them and be well bound
before loaded upon the wagon for the
barn.
The advantages of this method of
harvesting corn are rapidity in getting
the corn under cover when in proper
condition, thus enabling the farmer
in one or two days of good weather to
house quite large crop, also in -sepa-
rating the corn from the stalks. From
four hundred to six hundred
bushels of shelled corn, or even
more, may be easily thrashed in
ten hours with a good machine, and be
cleaned free from leaf, silk or cobs.
The stalks are put in better condition
for keeping. The big "butts" are SO
much torn and broken up. and so thor
oughly mixed with the drier leaves
and smaller portions of the stalks that
when put into NOW or stack there is
little danger of mold, and if when be-
ing even through the machine little
dry straw be thrown upon the elevator
with them, or if it be mixed with them
when being put into the NOW or stack,
there will be no danger of injury, even
when the stalks are quite green. The
stalks are taken from the fields with
the corn, thus clearing the ground
ready for fall blowing, many days or
weeks even in advance OF what can be
done in the I'D way of hand-husking,
enabling the farmer to have this i'm
portant work done before the disagree
able weather, almost sure to come later
in the fall.
The disadvantages can all be covered
under one head so far as / have been
able to find them-the shelled corn is,
of course, not as dry or thoroughly
cured as would be needed for storing
in bins or in very close barn, but this
can be easily overcome when one has
plenty of barn-floor by spreading the
corn not more than one foot deep over
the floor and having itshoveled over once
day for few days, at the same time
keeping the barn doors open and allow
ing very free circulation Of air, or if
one happens to have lot of old corn
the two may be liked together to the
improvement of 10Th, as The old corn
will absorb some of the moisture and
thus become less hartl and more easily
masticated if to be fed whole, as it is
usually to sheep.-J S. WoodsOard, in
Rural New Yorcer.